Uplift recently helped her youngest sister Marcie find a great bra that fits. She is a student at the University of Missouri-Columbia and maintains a writing blog. Hope you love her version of her bra adventure!

What is your most frequent struggle with bras? When shopping for bras, the most frequent and frustrating struggle is that they are all too small. As I continued going up in cup size over the years, I had to replace all of my bras at an extremely high cost as I transitioned from C to D to DD. I ended up wearing bras that were too small to try to offset the high cost of changing cup sizes. Once I reached DD, I found out that most brands I saw did not even carry any bras in DD. When there were a few brands that carried DD, they were always monochromatic. Nude, white, black bras were the only ones I could find that were big enough. I didn't want to settle for ugly, boring bras just because I was a DD. I wanted the cute, bright colors with lace and designs that the “average” woman was able to enjoy in her bras. That leads me to my second most frustrating struggle: the fact that large cup sizes tend to come only in uninteresting colors like nude or black. Just because your breasts are a little bigger does not mean you should have to sacrifice fun colors or patterns in your bras.Tell us about your ideal bra shopping experience.The ideal bra shopping experience for me would be to feel comfortable about my size and not have to worry about falling out everywhere because the bra is too small. Since I have had the most problems finding bras that are actually large enough, my ideal bra shopping experience would be working with an associate who understands that women with larger breasts need a little more fabric for their money. Also, I’d love to be able to shop for bras of all different colors and patterns with lace, gemstones, sparkles, bows, etc. I am not a plain person. Why should I settle for a plain bra?

What size had you been wearing previously? What size are you wearing now after being re-measured?Previously, I had been wearing size 36DD. They do not make anything smaller in the band size with a DD at conventional stores, and even finding a 36DD was difficult at times. After being re-measured, I am wearing a 32FF, which is a much different size than I thought I was. I didn't realize that I needed such a small band size because I had always been wearing 34s and 36s as my cup size grew over the years. The smaller band size definitely helps hold everything together, and the FF cup size makes me feel comfortable when I’m wearing it because it doesn't feel too small.What do you like most about a bra? What do you like least?What I like most about a bra is that it can be a super cute and fun way to show your personality. When you put on a cute and colorful bra, it’s not just functional; it makes you feel good about yourself. What I like least about a bra is that it can be restricting with the underwire and especially make you feel hot and overheated after walking long distances in the summer. What type of bras do you like to wear?

So far, I have tried the Juna by Cleo in a 32FF in “strawberry” and black. I like the Juna especially because there is lace detail and a bow on the bra that makes it not so boring. I will admit the black one is a bit boring, but I find it necessary for my wardrobe since I wear a lot of black tops and dresses that require a black bra. However, I look forward to finding additional styles that allow me to mix more cuteness with comfort in my bras.

Any other input/advice/rants?For me anyway, the most important thing about shopping for a bra is realizing that all different sizes are normal. It’s not my fault that conventional stores don’t carry my size. I can find cute bras in fun colors. I don’t need to fit the stereotype of the “average” woman. I’m normal and beautiful just the way I am.